Camp
A camp is a site where a Clan makes its permanent home. It is where the cats sleep and meet, bring fresh-kill, are treated for injuries or illness, and receive orders and make reports to the Clan Leader or Deputy. Some cats - such as queens, kits and elders - spend most of their time in the camp; while warriors and their apprentices regularly leave it to patrol the territory and hunt. Each Clan has one camp. Location Each camp is situated on the Clan's own territory. The main criteria for choosing a site are: *Be difficult to attack, but easy to defend *Be at a safe distance from Twolegs, Twoleg facilities and other dangers *Be large enough to accommodate all Clan cats *Have a source of water in the camp or nearby Structure Protection Most camps are surrounded by some means of natural protection (such as thickets, stone walls or water) that shelter them both from weather and enemy attacks. They usually have a single entrance, where only one cat can pass at a time (such as a tunnel under the thickets). In addition to the natural defense, warriors patrol and protect the camp day and night. Main Clearing All camps contain a large, open area in their middle. Cats gather here to meet each other, sun themselves, share tongues and participate in Clan Meetings. The main clearing usually also contains: *the fresh-kill pile, a spot where hunters drop the prey they caught and brought to the camp *a vantage point from where the leader addresses the Clan during a meeting, such as a large rock or a branch of a tree Dens Dens are sheltered locations (such as thickets or caves) used by a cat (or a group of cats) to rest, sleep and recover. Beddings of moss, bracken and ferns are used to rest on. The dens are usually cleaned and tidied by the apprentices of the Clan. Most camps contain all (or several) of the following: *'Nursery' - The den shared between the queens and kits, usually the safest and most protected *'Apprentices' Den' - The den shared between the apprentices *'Warriors' Den' - The den shared between the warriors and the deputy. Senior warriors usually sleep towards the center, where it is warmer, while young cats sleep near the edge *'Medicine Cat's Den' - The den that belongs to the medicine cat and his or her apprentice, who store their herbs and other supplies here as well. Cats with severe injuries and illness also rest here until they recover and are able return to their own dens *'Elders' Den' - The den shared between the elders, usually the second most protected *'Leader's Den' - The den where the Clan Leader lives. He or she spends most of the day here in seclusion and undisturbed; however, they can be visited by other cats, or choose to spend the night with their mate. Outer Facilities The following can be encountered in the vicinity of the camp: *'Burial Place' - A location where dead Clanmates are buried *'Dirtplace' - A location where the cats make dirt, and dump inedible food (bones, feathers, crowfood) Known Camps In the Forest ThunderClan The ThunderClan Forest Camp is in a sandy ravine that used to be a riverbed long time ago. It is surrounded by brambles, and the entrance is through a gorse tunnel. There is a tall boulder in the clearing, called the Highrock, used by the leader to call meetings. At one point, the camp was burned down in a fire, but the vegetation grew back soon. *The nursery is under a thick bramble bush *The apprentices' den is in a clump of ferns, beside a tree stump *The warriors' den is under a bush, with a nearby nettle patch *The medicine cat's den is a crack in a rock, near a small grassy clearing, a tunnel of ferns leading to it *The elders' den is in a fallen tree *The leader's den is a cave in the rock WindClan The WindClan Forest Camp is in a sandy hollow, surrounded by gorse. The entrance is through a gorse tunnel. A tall boulder, called the Tallrock is used by the leader to call meetings. *The nursery and the elders' den are under the gorse wall surrounding the camp *The other cats, including the leader, prefer to sleep under the open sky, although in bad weather, they retreat in burrows made by rabbits, foxes or badgers RiverClan The RiverClan Forest Camp is on a large, well-drained island, and is surrounded by reeds. It can be reached only by swimming, and as cats from other Clans cannot swim (and hate water, in general), the camp was never attacked. Floods present a danger; once, a flood swept away the floor of the nursery, together with the kits. *All dens are made up of tangles of reeds. It is mentioned that cats weave feathers in the reeds and decorate the edges with rocks and shells ShadowClan The ShadowClan Forest Camp is in a hollow with muddy ground, surrounded by brambles. The entrance is through a thorn tunnel. A smooth boulder at the edge of the clearing is used by the leader to call meetings. *The nursery is in a hollow, shielded by a thorn bush *The warriors' den is under a large bramble bush *The medicine cat's den is in a cave under two boulders, and is surrounded by ferns *The leader's den is beneath the roots of a big oak tree SkyClan (Former) Nothing is known about the SkyClan Forest Camp, except that it was located in a hollow. It was destroyed when the Twolegs built a Twolegplace, destroying SkyClan territory, including their camp. The Twoleg Nest where Smudge lives was built right on top of the old SkyClan camp. By the Lake ThunderClan The ThunderClan Lake Camp is in an abandoned quarry, described as a stone hollow enclosed by tall cliffs. The main entrance is through a thorn tunnel, and there is also a secret entrance that is reached by climbing the rocks. The walls offer protection and keep out the wind, but cats must watch their step near the edge as falling into the hollow can be fatal. A tall rock called the Highledge is used by the leader to call meetings. Most of the dens consist of caves and crevices in the rock wall. At one point, badgers devastated the camp, but it was rebuilt by the cats. *The nursery is under a thick bramble bush *The apprentices', elder', leader's and medicine cat's dens are caves in the rock, entrances hidden by tendrils *The warriors' den is under a big thorn bush WindClan The WindClan Lake Camp is a shallow scoop in the ground. Unlike other camps, it does not have any natural protection; they rely on the warriors to protect it. There are several boulders nearby, the highest being called the Tallrock and used by the leader to call meetings. *The nursery is under a gorse bush *The medicine cat's den is in a crevice in the rock *The elders' den is in an old badger set *The other cats, including the leader, prefer to sleep under the open sky, although in bad weather, they retreat in burrows made by rabbits, foxes or badgers RiverClan The RiverClan Lake Camp is on a triangle of land between two streams. It can be reached by swimming or by crossing the stream via stepping stones. Twolegs often disturb the cats during Greenleaf; once, they had to abandon the camp as they were harassed by Twoleg kits. *The nursery, elders' den and leader's den are under dense bramble thickets *The medicine cat's den is under a thorn bush overhanging the stream; the ground below it was washed away, leaving a pool ShadowClan The ShadowClan Lake Camp is hidden between tangles of brambles and low-hanging branches. The entrance is through a thorn tunnel. The leader makes their announcements from a branch hanging over their den. *All dens are under bramble thickets Other Camps SkyClan (Current) After being driven out from the Forest, SkyClan made a new camp at the source of River Chell, in a steep gorge. The Sky Rock is the highest point in the camp, used by the SkyClan cats to hold Gatherings, and can be used to oversee the entire landscape. At the bottom of the gorge, near the river source, there is a pile of boulders called the Rockpile, used by the leader to stand on during Clan meetings. *All the dens are caves in the rock wall, with narrow trails leading to them. The lowest is the Medicine Cat's den, close to the river, where plants grow. The highest is the Warriors' Den; this den is also used as a refuge during floods, as the water never reaches it *There is a cave lined with glowing moss, called the Shining Cave, where the SkyClan medicine cats shared tongues with the ancestors The Tribe The Tribe of Rushing Water resides in the Cave of Rushing Water, a large cave behind a waterfall. Kit-mothers and to-bes rest in separate nooks, while the other cats sleep in the main cave. Within the cave is a tunnel that leads to the Cave of Pointed Stones, where the Healer communicates with the Tribe ancestors. Life in the Camp *At dawn, the deputy appoints the daily patrols *Border patrols leave at dawn and sunset *Several hunting patrols leave daily. Some Clans (like ShadowClan) prefer to hunt at night; the others generally hunt during daytime *Some warriors always remain in the camp to protect it in case of an attack *Mentors train their apprentices at a designated place (like the training hollow), or take them on patrols *Apprentices do chores like tidying up dens and attending to queens and elders. The elders usually tell them stories *The medicine cat treats injured or ill cats, trains his or her apprentice, and leaves to gather herbs if needed *The leader oversees what happens in the Clan, consults with warriors, and calls a meeting if needed *Cats who stay in the camp usually rest, sunbathe in the clearing or share tongues. Cats are most active during morning and late afternoon; they usually sleep during the night and sunhigh *At night, one or more warriors stay awake to guard the camp while the others sleep See Also *General Clan Information References *''Secrets of the Clans'', pages 15 - 71 Category:Clan Life Category:Locations Category:Reference